


We're not quite a gang (more like a really strange family)

by Amanita_Cynth



Series: AroWriMo 2020 [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Aromantic, Asexual Character, Background Relationships, Brother-Sister Relationships, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hugs, In some chapters, POV Outsider, and aphobia discussed, arowrimo, there is some violence mentioned but its not graphic, theres also a bomb mention if thats a problem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:19:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22836913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amanita_Cynth/pseuds/Amanita_Cynth
Summary: Some scars aren't physical and can be all the worse for it. But maybe a woman brimming with her own hard-won self confidence and the new friends they pick up afterwards can help Allen overcome the hurtful words from his past. After all, if a dozen new friends think you're great and a literal god chose you as a Champion it shouldn't be so hard, right?“Oh.” He blinked. “People usually say it’s weird that I don’t want people- women- flirting with me.”“Boundaries are boundaries.” She waved a hand dismissively. From the depths of her hood, her eyes gleamed with light from a passing car and briefly lit up more details; the casual ease of her expression, her slightly lidded eyes, the soft curves of her warm, brown face. Shame it didn’t do much for him beyond the realisation that she really was that nonchalant about it, and also quite beautiful.
Series: AroWriMo 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1624459
Comments: 13
Kudos: 7





	1. Fateful Meetings

**December**

As unnerving as the crowds of ravens outside his dorm building had been, and as alarming as a glowing one leading him to a strange woman’s apartment had been, Allen was certain that the most terrifying part of his month was the amused voice suddenly emerging from the shadows in the corner of the roof. 

“The one chosen by The Corvid, I assume?” 

“ _Holy shit_!” He flailed, wings snapping out behind him as he wobbled on the edge before hastily jumping to safer ground. 

“Woah!” Said the figure that stood and stepped forward, hands out. “You okay? Sorry.” 

“The Black Cat, I assume.” He wheezed. “Don’t just... _appear_ like that.” 

“Sorry.” She repeated, shoulders hunched a little, seeming genuinely remorseful. “I keep forgetting that I can see in the dark, dumb as that sounds.” 

“It sounds pretty stupid.” He admitted. “You’re wearing all black, which doesn’t help.” 

“Yeah, well, I was hoping to go unnoticed in the night.” She grumbled. 

“...Really?” He asked dryly. 

“Mission failed. We’ll get them next time.” She said dramatically. 

Someone had caught sight of her jumping rooftops in the Docks and the description of a somewhat human, somewhat feline creature had garnered a fair amount of attention in certain corners of the internet. If he knew social media- and he did- the Black Cat would be in the news within a few days, and she was clearly aware of it. 

“Anyway, are you a crow or a raven?” She asked, slinking around him. He didn’t think she was fully aware she was moving in such a way; he’d found himself cocking his head and doing other things he didn’t normally as the gift of The Corvid seeped into every inch of him. 

“A raven.” He answered. 

“Awesome.” She said, surprisingly sincere. “Mask looks badass as well, very plague mask. Should we swap phone numbers? It’d be good to watch out for each other’s backs while we’re both figuring this out, y’know?” 

He stared at her until she noticed and leant back a little, the shine of her eyes vanishing for a moment as she blinked and straightened to a more human stance.

“What?” 

“You have your personal phone on you?” He asked flatly. “If someone even gets close to that they could figure your identity out, not to mention if someone actually did manage to grab it.” 

“...Sounds stupid now you’ve said that.” She agreed, shifting on her feet. 

“Geez.” He sighed, rubbing at his forehead. “Listen, get a burner phone and bring it with you. Next time we meet up I’ll install a programme on it and encrypt it so no-one can remotely backtrace anything you do with it and if someone does grab it they won’t be able to find anything important. I’ll make my own and we can use them to talk to each other.” 

“Whoof.” She rocked back on her heels, one hand on her hip as she grinned at him. “You a computer guy then? I have no idea about any of that.” 

“I am.” He nodded, raising an eyebrow at her and wondering how well it showed past the mask. “You?” 

Her grin widened as her free hand gestured at him.

“I designed that costume you’re wearing. Not the mask, though. Good job, I wasn’t kidding about it being cool.” 

“Huh?” He blinked, glancing down at him. He’d assumed it was something customary that Phoenix had lying around, but the more he thought about it the more obviously modern it was. “Oh. Thanks. I like it.” 

“No problem.” She did an exaggerated bow, hand twisting wildly in the air before she straightened again and tilted her head at the row of rooftops stretching before them. “Shall we?” 

He looked at her then at the rooftops. A smile began to grow on his face as his wings flared open behind him; already he was getting a good feel for them and was confident they would stay manifested for long enough that he would be safe doing the relatively short hops. 

“Let’s.” He agreed, and laughed at the exhilarated cry she let out as she threw herself on all fours across the gap, falling into a seamless roll and popping gracefully back to her feet before sprinting across that roof and throwing herself just as easily across the next gap. “Race you to the station on West!” He cried as his wings flapped, wind flowing through his bangs and feathers and sending a thrill through his body even as she squawked about the unfairness of the race when he had wings. 


	2. Coming Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Me: remember this is in america its called college its called college-

**December**

“Heard your new nickname?” Was the first thing she said when she dropped lightly onto the air conditioning next to him. There was open delight in her voice and he sighed a little when he recognised it. 

“Yeah. Blackwing.” He deadpanned. “Creative, aren’t they? I’m never going to respond to that- Raven is fine.” 

“I dunno, I think it makes sense.” She sniggered, and he shifted to face more towards her, head cocked in a silent question. “Of course you’re so smart and pretty if your wings blackened when you fell from heaven.” And before he could react at all she winked at him and threw herself onto the next roof, sprinting off with a wild cackle still drifting in the air behind her. 

“Don’t do that!” He yelled after her, snapping his wings open to give chase. 

He caught up a few blocks later on a higher roof, mostly because she’d stopped in a crouch on the lip, staring out at the district sprawled downhill of them. It wasn’t too much of a surprise to him, considering she’d mentioned knowing how to free-run before The Cat and how often she paused to take in the views when they were on patrol. 

“What did you want me to not do, kid?” She asked as he landed next to her. “The flirting or the running away?”

“The flirting.” He scowled. “Though the running away is also annoying.” 

“Alright.” She agreed easily. “Can’t promise with the running away though, it’s just too much fun.” She added with a toothy grin at him. 

“Alright?” He repeated with a blink. “That easy?” 

“If it’s genuinely annoying you what’s the point?” She shrugged. 

He stared straight ahead for a moment before glancing at her, face scrunched up a little. Unfortunately she noticed and turned to stare right back. 

“What?” 

“Oh.” He blinked. “People usually say it’s weird that I don’t want people- women- flirting with me.” 

“Boundaries are boundaries.” She waved a hand dismissively. From the depths of her hood, her eyes gleamed with light from a passing car and briefly lit up more details; the casual ease of her expression, her slightly lidded eyes, the soft curves of her warm, brown face. Shame it didn’t do much for him beyond the realisation that she really was that nonchalant about it, and also quite beautiful. "Besides, I'm not attracted to you at all, so don't worry about it, flyboy."

“Thanks.” He said dryly. 

“It’s a good thing!” Her words were accompanied by a gentle smack to the shoulder. “I’m usually attracted to absolute assholes, so it means I think you’re great.”

“Thanks.” He repeated, more sincere the second time, and then before he could double-guess himself blurted, “I don’t like it cos I’m aromantic.” 

“Oh?” She turned to him slightly, head tilted, most of her face hidden under shadows again. “You ace too?” 

“I- yes.” He blinked.

“Pan!” She grinned, holding her hand out for a high-five which he carefully did after a couple of seconds to parse her meaning. 

“This is already turning out like those All or Nothing sitcoms.” He grumbled to himself. 

“Aw, don’t worry, I’ll protect you from the allos.” She promised. 

“I don’t need protecting from literally everyone!” 

“So you’re fine with people flirting with you?” She smirked at the dirty look he gave her. “Thought so.” 

“What, and you’d be so amused with random people flirting with you when you aren’t interested?” He snapped, and immediately regretted it, shoulders twitching as he winced. 

“Yeah. Fair enough.” She said, more subdued but still looking out rather contently over the view. “Well, even more reason for me to step in, right? Anyway, you should try just telling people not to do it.” 

“Easy for you to say.” He huffed, careful to keep his voice more normal than last time. “You’re practically oozing, like, _presence_. I’m quiet with no authority at all.” 

She hunched over slightly, looking out over the rooftops with a quiet grunt of affirmation. 

“I’m not Raven all the time, you know.” He added unhappily. 

“What, and you think I act like Black Cat in my personal life?”

He blinked at her. 

“Honestly, I’d never considered you being any different.”

She turned her head to give him a slightly strained grin. 

“I think maybe we’re both using the mask, huh?”

“Well, we can’t be superheroes all the time.” He nodded, and then jokingly added, “Society generally frowns on the idea of college students leaping buildings in a single bound, to be honest.”

“You’re still in _college_? Oh my god, flyboy, I’m older than you.” 

“Please forget I said that!” He yelped. 

“There’s no way I’m going to forget that!” She exclaimed. “You know so much shit and you’re younger than me!” 

“ _That’s_ what you focused on?!” He squawked incredulously, the two of them oblivious to the civilians on the ground gazing excitedly upwards at the distant sound of voices.

“It kinda stuck out to me, smartass!” 


	3. Being Seen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this is the chapter containing a bomb

**January**

Everything came to a head when some policemen, in the middle of investigating a warehouse suspected of being used for smuggling weapons, turned a corner and found something strapped to a support column. The lead cop stepped closer and shone his flashlight across it only to realise-

“Wow, is that a bomb?” An unexpected voice said over his shoulder, and he spun to see someone perched on the boxes behind him, leant forward with a horrifying lack of care about the timer ticking down.

It was undoubtedly the black cat of the hungry city. God, he’d thought it was just another viral craze. They’d joked about it at the station over coffee. Though, taking a closer look, he had to fight back a scoff when it realised it was someone in a costume, large fluffy ears poking through the hood and all. Black Cat and all, yeah, he got it, but the leather catsuit? Really? There was such a thing as taking a callsign too far.

“What the fuck?!” He yelped, seeing his coworkers reach for their guns. “You can’t be here!”

Then the ears twitched as he spoke, he watched them twitch, and she leant back again and turned her head towards him and _those were not human eyes_. Bright green from edge to edge, vertical pupils blown wide in the semi-dark, flashing as the light moved across her face when she turned her head. Definitely not an effect you could get from lenses.

“Is that so?” She asked mildly, giving him a glimpse of deadly looking canines before she craned her head back and went, “You know anything about bombs, Raven?”

There was a sharp, loud rustle from high up in the beams before a figure just dropped, shadows unfurling menacingly behind them as the light slid past them. They landed softly, looming pitch wings spread wide behind him, eyes hidden behind a plague-mask like contraption on his face.

“Lucky for you, I know about digital timers and this is one of those.” The rather terrifying man said, wings tucking in as he casually walked past the frozen officers and crouched in front of the device. “You really should learn something bout them.”

“Oh yeah, so easy.” She rolled her eyes as she slid off the boxes with an inhuman grace and flexibility, leaning over his shoulder. “I’ll just rock up to the police academy, local cryptid here to learn about bomb defusal. Not all of us can know everything, flyboy.”

He just grunted in response, carefully fiddling with something before going,

“Cut the green wire, would you?”

She drew her hand back and with a slight tensing of her fingers there were suddenly claws instead of nails. He’d never really considered how deadly cat claws were until he saw them scaled up to human size. Either way she sliced through a wire with sharp precision and the man nodded as he stood again.

“It’s not completely disarmed, but it’s no longer connected to the timer and there was nothing else that _should_ detonate it. Bomb Squad should have no problem doing the rest.” He nodded to them. “Officers.” And then his wings snapped open and he was flying through a large window that nobody had noticed was open.

The black cat gave them a wink and jaunty, two fingered salute before _bounding_ up the walls and out the window after him.

“...Dispatch, we just had a run in with the black cat. Her friend defused the timer on the IED. ETA for bomb squad?” He radioed in, aware his voice was distant with shock.

There was a pause.

“Can you repeat that, Officer, you had a run in with the black cat?” Came the dubious response.

“Yeah.” He said, realising even as he said it, “We have it on our bodycams.”

Two days later, Raven texted Catarina to say they were trending on every social media there was. She stared at the message, switched to her personal phone, and started to scroll. Wow. She really was terrifying, huh? Even the leaked bodycam footage was unnerving and that was better lit than her usual appearances.

Hmm.

She texted him back to ask if there was any way to avoid someone backtracking her through a twitter account on an app. His reply had a number of expletives but the answer was, essentially, yes.

The next day, the Black Cat tweeted for the first time.

 **TheBlackCat** (@HungryBlackCat) - 6 minutes ago  
can confirm that i am a, real and b, not a monster sorry for the scares kids didnt consider how it might look

 **ItsEllie** (@Elliiiiio) - 4 minutes ago  
okay we all know this is a fake account

 **TheBlackCat** (@HungryBlackCat) - 2 minutes ago  
OK  
[An image showing a selfie of Black Cat winking at the camera, one hand raised in a clawed wave. She is standing somewhere just about streetlight level and it is reflecting off her eyes. In the background is a hunched silhouette perched on the edge of the roof, the vague shape of wings curled about them.]

 **ItsEllie** (@Elliiiiio) - 1 minute ago  
HOLY SHIT


	4. Reveal

**February**

“Time to call it a night.” Allen grunted as he none-too-gently dropped the last of the stolen money round the back of the local police station. Seriously, why did bank robbers ever try to steal such heavy bags? The movies seriously made it seem lighter. 

“Yeah.” Cat panted, wiping at her forehead. “Lets count that as all our good deeds for the night, huh? I’m fucking exhausted.”

“I noticed.” He rolled his shoulders, wincing a little at the ache. Flying for long periods of time could be painful enough without lugging bags of money with him. Nevertheless he stretched them out again in preparation to take off- he’d just drop down somewhere dark a couple of blocks away and return to normal Allen. “Well, see ya round.” 

“Yeah yeah, see ya flyboy.” She waved him off as she stretched impressively before shaking her limbs out and scrambling up the side of a building and out of sight. 

He shook his head with a slight chuckle and then hurriedly took off when he heard the door to the station open. It took less than a minute for him to locate a dark alleyway that was usually empty- he’d gotten a very good grasp of the local areas the last few weeks- and quietly set down behind a dumpster. 

He took his own moment to stretch largely, letting out a sigh as he returned to fully human- and then he heard it, the shuffle of movement, but it was too late. He looked up, into Black Cat’s very human and wide eyes as both of their costumes scattered away, each having noticed the other too late to stop their lodestones. 

They stared at each other for a moment before Cat burst out laughing. 

“That was dumb of us.” 

“Yeah.” Allen agreed after finally breathing again, chuckling a little as she wiped at her eyes. 

“Nice to properly meet you, kid!” She stuck her hand out. “I’m Catarina. Catarina Moore.” 

He stared, halfway to reaching for her hand. 

“Your _actual_ name is Cat? What the hell are the chances?” 

“I know.” She rolled her eyes as she leant forward to grab and shake his hand, scowling playfully at him. “And you, flyboy?” 

“Allen Barr.” 

“Nice to properly meet you, Al.” She grinned.

“You too, Cat.” He smiled.

“So I can totally come to your graduation now, right?”

“How on earth am I supposed to explain you?!” 


	5. Tentative Connections

**February**

Being dragged into a fight between a UDL member in a mechanical suit and a bunch of aggressive androids wasn’t really how Allen had imagined a simple grocery run going. He should have known better than to tempt fate by travelling in costume so he could fly.

He yelped and ducked as a metal arm whipped with inhuman speed towards him, and with his back pressed to the wall he paused as he noticed a growing shadow over the advancing line.

Black Cat dropped from the sky and slammed right into the one menacing him before whipping her arm out to the side and punching the other one in the face.

“Meow.” She deadpanned, already glancing over him. “You alright, kid?”

“I’m not a kid!” He whined.

“You might as well be.”

“It is literally only a three year age difference!” He shrieked even as he took down another one.

“You two know each other in real life?” The super-suit guy asked incredulously.

“There was a _biiiit_ of an accident.” Allen admitted.

“I’m basically his mother now.” Cat said in a completely flat voice that had super-suit eyeing her pensively, trying to figure out if it was the truth or not before jumping as she suddenly perked up. “Oh! Flyboy, the Keeper told me to tell you that there are a bunch more baby Champions on the way! We’re basically _old_ now, so we gotta watch out for them.”

“Great.” Allen groaned over super-suit’s confused attempts to get them to explain what they were saying. “How baby are we talking here? Last week kind of thing? And how are they getting here, where the hell were they before and why are they coming now?”

“Ask her, sweetheart.” Cat snorted before dodging away from a punch and throwing the man over her shoulder into a wall before leaping up in a backflip onto a fire escape and sticking her tongue out at the men below. “Now whadda we got here? Robots? Where’d the evil robots come from?”

“I didn’t exactly ask them!” He shouted in exasperation as he flapped his wings a few times to land next to her.

Another man in a different powersuit landed next to the first one and began taking swings at the robotic horde.

“The local lads are helping out then, eh?” He called.

“Raven got himself stuck in the middle of the mess so I came to bail him out but, hey, if you didn’t want us little ones pitching in-” Cat began snidely.

“No, no, please, continue!”

“Stay here until you need to, kid.” She said seriously to Allen, who threw his hands up with a huff but did indeed stay there as she did a frontflip into the fray and began dishing out pain left and right. Truth of the matter was that in close-quarter situations like this he wasn’t going to be of much use, whereas she excelled in them. He needed space to manoeuvre but she could create it.

“So, who are the new ones?” He called down to her, shifting so he was sat on the ledge with one foot dangling off and the other keeping him balanced on top of the thin railing.

“Rat, Eagle and some Big Cat!”

He thought about that for a moment.

“If there’s a Big Cat does that make you Little Cat?”

“I’m tame, baby!” She cried, jumping on a robot’s shoulders and tearing into the wires by its neck before leaping off and toppling some more. “A domestic cat. Or a stray, in my case.”

“What sort of big cat?” Super-suit asked.

“Dunno. Whatever the kid needs.” She replied with a shrug before ducking under a punch and kicking the offender under the chin, snapping its head into the air and not seeming to notice the confusion on their faces at ‘needs’ instead of ‘wants’.

“Outta the park!” Allen cheered before he paused. “Aw man, did you say Eagle? Not sure I wanna be hanging with a bird of prey.”

“He ain’t gonna eat you.” Cat rolled her eyes as she bounced off of a robot, spun in the air and hooked her leg so she was hanging upside down off a railing. “Just like I’m not gonna eat the Rat.” She winked. “Or you.”

“Uh-huh.” He stared at her flatly. “I’ve seen the way you watch pigeons in the park. I’m not taking any chances.”

She spluttered, a flush rising on her cheek, and didn’t dodge the robot that jumped at her. Not that it wasn’t clawed to pieces a moment later, but it was strange enough to see her taken off guard by anything.

“So you guys are like...actually animals?”

“Oh yes.” Allen said as he raised his eyebrows and his voice over Cat’s shrieking and hissing. “We are animals given human forms by the gods. Fear us.” The completely flat delivery had the two men sharing unsure glances.

“Oh my god, kid!” Cat wailed. “Why are you like this?”

“Are you sure you aren’t his sister instead of his mother?”

“Oh christ, I’m his sister.” She said in horrified realisation.

“Well now you definitely can’t eat me.”

“ _Kid_.”

 **TheBlackCatnCo** (@HungryBlackCat) - 5 minutes ago  
@UDL please keep ur robots out of our city next time what a nightmare

 **TheBlackCatnCo** (@HungryBlackCat) - 4 minutes ago  
and everyone else keep an eye out for some new friends ;)

 **CryptidsRreal!** (@bigfootbigbrain) - 3 minutes ago  
excuse me what the fuck does this mean it sounds so ominous

 **KeepSarnportWeird** (@sarnportbewildin) - 1 minute ago  
hello there are more of you????


	6. Growing Friendships

**March**

It was Allen who ran into the next champion, rather literally. Aiming for a rooftop one moment, crashing into a man the next. They went down on the roof in a mess of flailing limbs, hissed curses and feathers in mouths. 

“What the fuck, man?” Allen cried as he finally disentangled himself. “Were you going to jump?!” 

“Do you have another idea for learning to fly?” The man snapped back. 

All the snappy responses Allen had been planning dried in the back of the throat as he finally took in the large, brown wings being shaken out behind him, the glare from yellow and black eyes. 

“Ah.” He said. “The eagle, I presume.” 

“Well I know for a fact that you’re Blackwing.” He replied cautiously. 

“It’s Raven, actually.” He sighed before letting his costume scatter and his manifestations fade. “But you can call me Allen.” 

He actually took a step back, staring at him wide-eyed. 

“Jesus, kid, don’t you have a carefully guarded secret identity!” He hissed. 

“Yeah, but it’s not gonna matter.” Allen shrugged, digging in his coat pocket. “C’mon, I’ll take you to Phoenix and then I’ll help you learn to fly. She’ll explain everything and help you get the powers under control.” 

He waited as the other man slowly relaxed, eyes and wings fading away in fits and sputters. 

“...Thanks. I’m Julián.” 

After that it became something of a tradition. New Champions would be introduced to Phoenix and almost immediately afterwards to Cat or Allen or both. Sometimes it was gratifying, to see people looking at him in open admiration. Other times it was terrifying: Heron, so twitchy and coiled with tension under her nonchalant facade; Beetle, big and grumpy and unhealthily attached to the knives he’d turned up with; Chameo, who’d just appeared after a month of apparently stalking them to gauge them before anybody noticed.

And then there was Vix, who delighted in needling him and didn’t pass up the chance to embarrass him when she was the one to find a newbie.

“This is Raven, also known as Allen in more boring situations.” Vix said to the new boy with a grin and wink. “He’s everybody’s younger brother.” 

“I am _not_.” He scowled. “Don’t keep saying that. Especially to people clearly younger than me.” 

“But Al.” She whined, drawing out his name. “Poor kid’s so far from home, all the way from Dakota. They might need a new identity. You’re so good at those!” 

“I’m not from Dakota, my _name_ is Dakota!” He complained. 

“Oops, sorry, wasn’t listening enough.” 

“You’re still not from around here.” Allen said, eyeing him. “That’s definitely not a Sarnport accent. And you didn’t deny being far from home.”

“Uh.” 

“Jesus, I don’t even wanna know how you got here.” He sighed, rubbing at his forehead. “Alright, come on. So long as you’re quiet you can crash in my dorm for a bit.” 

“Aw, he’s so determined to play the big brother role for once.” Vix stage-whispered, Dakota giggling a little nervously as Allen glowered at her. 

“You’re two months younger than me, Vix.” 

“If you wanted me to call you big brother you coulda just asked, Al.” 

“I _will_ push you off this roof.” 

“Sounds just like something a tired big brother would say!” When he just sighed at her, wordless and exasperated, she grinned and punched him on the shoulder and ignored the way he stumbled back with an ‘oof’. “Eh, it doesn’t really matter cos you love us all anyway, right?”

“Despite my better judgement.” He grumbled, rubbing at his shoulder. When he saw Dakota looking between them warily he sighed and dropped his hand to briefly ruffle the younger boy’s hair. “Don’t worry, kid. Whatever it is you’re running from, we all help each other here. It can be like a whole new family.” 

Dakota smiled up at him shyly. 

“Whoof, good job big brother.” 

“Vix, I _swear to fuck_ -”

They continued to bicker over the quiet sound of Dakota’s laughter, and when Vix shot him a subtle wink at the sound of it he cherished the thrum of warmth in his centre before continuing to threaten every internet connected thing she owned. 


	7. Pride

**June**

Cat burst through the doors.

“I have had the _best_ idea for pride month!”

“Oh no.” Allen said.

“Oh _yes_.”

“I’m only doing it if you personally design and make every one!” Allen pointed at her viciously.

“Of course I will! I ain’t no slacker!”

“Sometimes I hate how in sync you two are.” Julián finally grouched, interrupting their stare off as she winked at him.

“Aw, don’t worry bae, we have that predatory connection that he’ll never understand.”

“...Never fucking say that again.”

 **Gaybriel** (@queeeerangel) - 11 minutes ago  
Just saw Electric fly past and it looked like she was wearing a lesbian flag sticker???

 **TheBlackCatnCo** (@HungryBlackCat) - 9 minutes ago  
Happy Pride! For Pride month Cat has updated the uniforms of some of us who are out and proud- watch out for the chevrons on your favorite champs- Raven

 **Casies@NYC4pride!!!** (@CasieG21) - 6 minutes ago  
Omg!!! wish i was still there, someone keep an eye out for Butterlfy!

 **GenderIsFake** (@NBenni) - 5 minutes ago  
is Eagle really wearing a straight flag i cant handle this

 **TheBlackCatnCo** (@HungryBlackCat) - 2 minute ago  
hes whining about how boring it is but insisted, hes the token cishet (not really but thats how he VIBES)- C

 **TheBlackCatnCo** (@HungryBlackCat) - 1 minute ago  
he *acts* the most straight amiright lads- Ratboy

 **TheBlackCatnCo** (@HungryBlackCat) - 34 seconds ago  
Guys...please... - Eagle

Cat paused and looked up as she heard the skylight above the landing open. After a moment she recognised the silhouette as Raven and relaxed again.

“Good patrol?” She asked, leaning against the wall as he closed the skylight and landed next to her. They didn’t get to patrol together much anymore, being the de facto leaders and with him working more at base than on the streets. Sometimes, though, he just wanted to stretch his wings and she had actual design work to do so they switched places for the night.

“It was...weird.” He looked a little dazed. “Have you been checking the twitter? People are freaking out about me being aroace.”

She paused and glanced across at him.

“Good freaking out or bad freaking out?”

“...Bit of both?”

“ _Both_?” She repeated, beginning to scowl. “God, do I need to feed the blocklist again?”

“It’s not that bad.” He denied weakly.

“Bullshit, it isn’t.” She scoffed. “I’ve seen some of the crap those people tend to say. It’s downright nasty.”

“This guy I knew once got annoyed with me and told me I was a psychopath that couldn’t love anyone.” He let out an unamused huff of laughter. “Which was ironic considering how he ended up treating the people around him. But...I cared about him and it _hurt_. And it still hurts, even though he ended up being a piece of shit, even though I shouldn’t care what he thinks or said at all.”

She silently held an arm out and he quietly tucked himself against her, shivering a little as she wrapped it about his back and squeezed him close.

“I’m sorry that happened to you.” She muttered against his hair. “It’s not fair at all...I’d totally have punched him.”

That startled a weak laugh out of him.

“Yeah, probably. I’m not as brave as you, though. Or _reckless_.”

“Not Black Cat all the time, remember?” She chuckled lightly, feeling him snort at the callback.

“That’s bullshit, Cat. The Stray is in you as much as you are in the Stray.”

She paused, staring ahead for a moment before blinking down at him. A slow grin spread across her face as she squeezed him a little.

“Yeah, well, same with the Raven and Allen. So. What would either of you do if you saw someone chatting shit online like that?”

“Fuck with them.” He admitted without hesitation.

“Exactly.” She laughed, finally letting him go and stretching a little as he shifted further away but still kept their sides pressed together. “I might not be able to hack people but I can sure scare the shit out of them!”

“Ah...” He slumped a little with a small, exasperated smile. “Please don’t go overboard. We don’t need the commissioner on our asses again.”

“No guarantees.” She sniffed, but she didn’t move away. Instead she shifted her weight and tilted her head up to watch the clouds through the skylight. After a minute she quietly added, “I’ll patrol with you tomorrow.”

“I don’t need you to protect me from everyone.” He sighed, slumping against her a little more as he followed her gaze.

“Nah.” She agreed. “But I want to.”

He huffed but didn’t reply, and they stayed silent and watched the sky change colour as the sun set, only moving when Cain called everybody to the dining room for dinner.


End file.
